April 10, 2008
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Every once in a while.....
....I'll read something so satisfying that I have to share it. Today, that happened twice.
Anyone who has spent any time at all in the science blogosphere during the last year is aware that conservative economist and former Nixon speechwriter Ben Stein has put together a "documentary" entitled Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. In the film, Stein spends the better part of ninety minutes whining that Intelligent Design has been banned from public school science curricula (that tends to happen to baseless, unverifiable, unscientific ideas that makes claims already known to be false) and shamelessly laying a large amount of the blame for the Holocaust, yes-the Holocaust, at the foot of the theory of evolution. PZ Myers (and others) was bamboozled into appearing in the film and has been tracking the inaccuracy, the hypocrisy, and the dishonesty ever since. To give you some idea of the inanity of this project, FOX NEWS even blasted the film. The film is set to be released next Friday, but you can save your money and your time. Scientific American's John Rennie was given an exclusive screening and wrote a review that absolutely nailed it. Please take 15-20 minutes and read this article.
_____________________________________________________While browsing through the February issue of ESPN the Magazine, I saw this graphic. Take a close look:
The NHL swept every single category, and hats off to the players for making this happen. Through decades of tireless effort and dedication to their sport, these pure athletes have built a worldwide fanbase moderate in numbers but ferocious in loyalty. They've done this with little help from the broadcast media, who are reluctant to broadcast games but all too willing to highlight the games darker moments (usually without context). Hopefully, this will encourage those unfamiliar to see what the fuss is about. No need to go David Putty (face painted, squinting, deep monotone voice "Gotta support the team.") The playoffs have just begun; so pick a team - Pittsburgh, Montreal, and San Jose would be good choices - and follow them on their journey. TV listings here. Find out for yourself why the NHL leads all four major professional sports in customer satisfaction.
Comments (2)
The Stein piece doesn't surprise me. In 1988, a reporter asked Stein about allegations that then VP-candidate and quintessential Hoosier Dan Quayle was having an extra-marital affair. Stein replied that the personal lives of politicians were none of the media's business and that it was unprofessional and negligent of them to report on them. A decade later, though, he did a 180-degree-turn when asked about Bill Clinton's extra-marital affairs. He said that since Clinton was a high-ranking publicly elected official, the public had every right to know about them and the media should thoroughly investigate it. If Stein had been consistent on the issue, I might not have agreed with him, but at least I'd have respected his opinion. Add HYPOCRITE to the list of words used to describe Ben Stein.
As for the survey, I have several comments:
1. Hockey has historically had the smallest but most loyal fan base of these four sports, so its high ranking doesn't surprise me.
2. I would like to view the demographics of those who participated in the survey. The NHL is predominantly white whereas the NBA is predominantly black. If you think that's a coincidence, there's a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you.
3. That being said, the NBA has reaped what has sown the way that it has embraced the hip-hop culture and has likely lost more fans than it gained by doing so. The NFL's off-the-field player incidents put the NBA's to shame, but people shrug off the NFL's incidents while chastising the NBA for theirs. Also, fighting in baseball and hockey are seen as sometimes justified (and in hockey, even celebrated) whereas in the NBA, it's highly criticized. Double standards are clearly at work.
4. The "It's a shame what's happening to this league" results were stunning. If the NHL were run half as well as the NBA (despite its problems), it might well be the 3rd most popular sport instead of a distant fourth. Likewise, if MLB were run half as well as the NFL, it might be number 1 in popularity (I'm sorry to say football is the most popular). But like maverick baseball owner Bill Veeck said, baseball has to be a great game to survive the men who have run it.
Thanks for the invite. I'll comment on the movie and the links once I've seen the movie.
Great post on the survey. I'll admit I'm not much of a hockey fan. But if I were looking for a sport to follow, based on those factors, the NHL would certainly win out.
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